New Books in Ancient History

Speaking Bones: Unearthing Ancient Stories of Illness and Disease


Listen Later

From mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue to chronic bacterial infections such as yaws, Southeast Asia is home to a wide range of tropical diseases. For a long time, the arrival in the region of these and other dangerous tropical diseases was believed to be connected to the introduction of agriculture. But how long have these diseases really been around for? How are they connected to the region’s fluctuating social and environmental conditions? And how have they impacted the human populations of Southeast Asia over time?

Joining Dr Natali Pearson on SSEAC Stories, bioarchaeologist Dr Melandri Vlok sheds light on the complex science of paleoepidemiology and its use of advanced analytical practices such as DNA ancestry, skeletal studies, and teeth calculus to uncover ancient stories of illness and disease. She explains that far from being mere remnants of the past, archaeological human remains can help us understand the evolution and spread of pathogens, and inform strategies to curb the spread of infectious diseases in human populations.

About Melandri Vlok:

Dr Melandri Vlok is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. Melandri specialises in palaeopathology/ bioarchaeology and researches the implications for migration and trade on the presence of infectious and nutritional diseases in past populations in Asia. Melandri's work, funded by grant bodies including National Geographic and the Royal Society of New Zealand, has involved the analysis of human skeletal remains from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand and the Philippines. She is also involved with repatriation efforts focused on returning Māori and Moriori ancestral remains to iwi and imi (tribes) in New Zealand.

For more information or to browse additional resources, visit the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre’s website: www.sydney.edu.au/sseac.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Books in Ancient HistoryBy New Books Network

  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1

4.1

13 ratings


More shows like New Books in Ancient History

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,389 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,193 Listeners

Ancient Warfare Podcast by The History Network

Ancient Warfare Podcast

534 Listeners

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast by Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

2,093 Listeners

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps by Peter Adamson

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

1,590 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,902 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

597 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

293 Listeners

Ancient Greece Declassified by Dr. Lantern Jack

Ancient Greece Declassified

494 Listeners

Podcast episodes – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP) by Earl Fontainelle

Podcast episodes – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)

313 Listeners

In Moscow's Shadows by Mark Galeotti

In Moscow's Shadows

363 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,043 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,107 Listeners

Biblical Time Machine by Dave Roos

Biblical Time Machine

202 Listeners

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman by Bart Ehrman

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman

605 Listeners